After covering Types of Guitar: Beginners Guide to Buying a Guitar, I feel it is appropriate this week to focus on learning guitar chords and the importance of practicing them. By that I mean anything from two-note power chords to spidery jazz chords spanning all six strings. Don’t make the mistake of attempting lead guitar without first getting a solid grasp on chordal, rhythmic playing.
I have been studying guitar off and on since age 10. I have had several instructors over the years but most of them didn't have a solid game plan, a horizon or timeline toward getting to the next level. Plus it was expensive. As technology evolved more Youtube videos came online. I tried teaching myself from the videos but the process and information was fragmented. Watching them felt like lessons from those in person instructors. I googled best online guitar courses and found Guitartricks rated at the top so I took a chance. I will tell you this, if you have the patience and dedication, and follow the course, especially Fundamentals I and II, you will be amazed at how quickly you will advance. As with any endeavor worth undertaking, it isn't easy. But, my instructor, Lisa McCormick, developed the Core system and she nailed it. Her gentle nudging even paced approach has helped me improve my playing and understanding of the guitar way beyond my expectations. The Guitartricks system is every bit a road map to get you from beginner to advanced, or if you choose, to be able to play some songs if that's your goal. A well thought out intuitive interface to navigate through your journey toward playing guitar. Two thumbs up Guitartricks!!!
This is not a substitute for learning scales. At some point down the road you are going to want to dive into music theory at least a little bit, if nothing else so you can understand how scales work and how chords are built. For now you are a beginner, and this exercise can go a long way toward loosening up your fretting hand and improving your technique.

Beginner to advanced, acoustic to electric, blues to country... we have the guitar lessons you need to move your playing forward. We consistently film, edit and publish around 11 hours of new guitar lessons every 30 days; an enormous amount of material to keep your playing focused and interests piqued. With new lessons added on a daily basis, you cannot find another company as dedicated to teaching you how to play guitar as JamPlay.

On the GuitarTricks forum, you risk to get lost reading threads for hours, and forget to take some lessons! They have both open community discussions and subscriber only sections, that way you will not feel left out before getting a paid membership. In conclusion, Guitar Tricks has tons of lessons and learning material and it has hours of fun when your guitar practice is over!

Tapping is a technique where the right hand taps a string and alternates with notes played by the left hand. A basic way you can start tapping is to find three notes that you want to play on one string and play them as triplets using this sequence: tap, pull-off, pull-off. The first note is tapped with your index or middle finger and then pulls-off onto a note held by one of the left hand fingers, which is then pulled-off onto another note held by a left hand finger. Other ways to tap are to use more right hand fingers, use open strings, and to use different rhythms.

Though this decision can be based on preference, we think the best guitar for a beginner is the acoustic guitar. Classical guitars have a wider neck, which can be hard for younger students or physically smaller individuals to handle when learning guitar chords. Meanwhile, the electric guitar is designed to be played with an amplifier, which comes at an additional cost. Acoustic guitars are simple and require little to no additional equipment, making them ideal for beginner guitarists.